Cups of Tea
by Couver
Summary: Varun Singh knows his son. He knows when he's struggling in class, when he likes a girl, and apparently when he is in danger because of aliens. It all comes out in the end, usually over a cup of tea.


**AN** : My first piece for Class, a show that really is a diamond in the rough and deserves more attention. I adore all of them and will probably get around to writing a bit about all of them but Varun and Ram definitely deserve a bit more love so here it is. Of course none of the characters are my own, otherwise the Singh household would be much happier.

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Varun Singh is far more aware than his son gives him credit for. Yes, his wife is the one in high demand to give lectures regarding her scientific research. And yes, whenever she practices her speeches in front of him they can go over his head. That does not mean that he doesn't notice right away that something is wrong with his son when he comes back from prom.

He has always been able to read Ram; catching him the few times he tried to feign sickness, knowing just how well he had done on his school work based off of his face, and even letting him think he had gotten away with a lie as long as Varun found it innocent or amusing enough. He still chuckles to himself when he remembers Ram desperately trying to hide the pet hamster he was taking care of for a friend who had gone away on holiday. His wife had been adamantly against it even though she had a conference during the time and Ram had just been far too sweet with his big brown eyes and simple desire to help out his friend. He still doesn't know that Varun knew the entire time.

Ram doesn't say anything when he first comes home. He simply heads upstairs past him and the shower is heard running for a while before he finally goes to his room. It's the following day after school that he tells him over tea that Rachel has gone missing, he doesn't say anything else but Varun knows that there is more. The niggling feeling he has telling him that something is wrong becomes even stronger when he watches Ram play football. After another cup of tea Ram tells him everything and shows him his leg. As soon as Ram starts talking about aliens he believes him, not because of any belief he held regarding that topic beforehand but because he believes his son.

That night they stay up late with water bottles neatly lined up till Ram has knocked all of them down at least three times. When he passes by Ram's door he hears him casually talking about aliens while discussing homework with his friends over skype and Varun accepts it as their new normal. The thing that his careful ears catch and focus on is the new voice that he starts to hear more often. A slightly higher pitched voice that ignores his son's exaggerated sighs and instead continues to talk about folk music, something that Ram is now apparently able to banter about. He also hears his smile. Varun Singh has very sensitive ears regarding his son.

He hears him leave at random times. Normally Ram calls out that he's going out before leaving, even mentioning where he's off to or if he's meeting with a friend. He was a bit quieter with his information when Rachel first showed up but even then he always declared his departure, he just omitted her name which only made Varun smile to himself. Now he even takes care to quietly shut the door instead of slamming it in his haste. Varun trusts him to tell him if something dangerous is going to happen, he knows his son after all.

Over another cup of tea he can tell that Ram wants to say something but he never does. Instead he talks about the latest football match he watched and asks what they're making for dinner that night. It's about a girl. His sweet, intelligent, brave boy is absolutely brilliant at a lot of things but is absolutely abysmal at hiding anything from him, particularly when it's regarding a girl. Generally the worse he is at it the more he likes her. Based on his quickly moving gaze, random blushes, and continued attempts to drink his tea after his cup has already been emptied he is quite smitten with this girl. Varun has a fairly good guess that it's the folk music loving girl his son has been skyping more often.

When Tanya calls him he doesn't question how she got access to his personal number, he simply asks where his son is and rushes over. He had had an odd feeling the entire day. It's nice to finally meet Tanya and not just hear her explaining particularly tricky problems over skype. It's less pleasant to have to defend Ram to this man whom he has never met; his son has never met, and appears to be unwanted by everyone else in the room. Now Varun Singh will fight for his son till his dying breath but there is no need for this man to be attacking him. Tanya settles everything and once again shows how bright she is. He also finally hears her name, April, he's positive this is the girl that has his son in such a daze. Hearing that he went in after her doesn't surprise him; Ram takes more after him than his mother. She's the one that keeps everything running smoothly, fills out taxes with an unheard of glee as soon as possible, knows exactly when everyone had their last vaccination or coughed, and could probably run the entire country and still argue confidently in a topic she had just read about. While she is rational, he is more emotional. He remembers friends both imaginary and real that all of them have had through their lives, favourite cakes and tea preferences based on moods and the weather, he knows exactly when to talk and when to put on a movie and sit quietly next to them. His wife would have thought things over before jumping in, he would have raced along right after anyone he cared about. At least Ram had enough of his mother in him to ask Tanya to reach him. When it's his turn to go through a rip in time and space that will take him to a foreign and dangerous location he might not be able to leave he doesn't think twice.

When they're both firmly on Earth and are safely at home drinking tea Ram finally starts talking about April. He is larger in his movements and flits about in his stories as if just remembering something else about her that he simply has to tell his father about. When Ram had spoken to him about Rachel a few months prior for the first time he had been far too busy attempting to look calm and cool about his new girlfriend. This time around he is free with his words and his seeming amazement at the things she could do yet chose not to and her strength and kindness behind her actions. He is slightly ashamed with himself for having judged her beforehand so easily, and he shows anger at what she had been put through by her father at such a young age. Varun simply keeps both of their mugs full and lets Ram carry on. He only speaks up at the end when he tells him to invite her over for tea sometime. The blush that appears on Ram's face looks as if it's about to become permanent and he looks away, scratches behind his ear, and then nods slightly while trying to hide his smile.

Varun Singh knows his son. He knows that he has lost his girlfriend, part of his leg, his childhood, and his dreams in a violent manner. Yet he has grown in ways that surpass anything he might have lost. The growth in his already large heart speaks volumes and can only be rivaled in the growth of Varun's pride regarding his son.


End file.
